Arkos Journey
by Izlawake
Summary: Team JNPR is sent on a mission to slay a Class B Grimm, but things take a turn for the worse when Jaune and Pyrrha get separated from Ren and Nora and get trapped in maze of caverns. Can they survive the darkness' citizens and find a way to the surface in time? Arkos love. Contains blood, violence, and a number of jokes.


A/N: Whoever can deduce the origin of the Tsuchigumo's name, and find any and all Easter eggs will get a cookie.

No hints either. Good luck.

**The Arkos Journey**

The sun shone over Beacon Academy so brightly, for today was a special for Team JNPR. Today was the day where they will be sent on a mission to test if they are truly capable of becoming Huntsmen. Inside their dorm room, the team was preparing for the journey, dressing in their combat uniforms and weapons, gathering any supplies they need like food, water, camping gear, Dust, and combat gear.

Their team leader, Jaune Arc, was currently deciding whether to bring his favorite snack, chewy "Vale Fruit Gummies," which he had only one big bag left. After a minute of thought, he stored it into his pack with a change of clothes, a sharping kit for his sword, a book for reading, a lantern, some torch sticks, some food and bottled water, as well as bug spray.

"Are you sure you have enough stuff in there, Jaune?" asked his teammate, Lie Ren, peering over his shoulder.

"Oh, that reminds me," Jaune piped. He dashed over to his closet and pulled out a miniature camouflage kit. He took a look at Ren's puzzled face. "What? Put this on your face and you'll be extremely cool." Ren shook his head and attended to his pack.

Ren packed only his bare essentials, from clothes, food, water, torches, spare ammo for his weapons, and a hairbrush for some reason. His childhood friend Nora was stuffing all sorts of worthless things into hers, like multiple clothes, a pillow, pancake mix, syrup for said pancakes, a really silly hat, and more. Her team was surprised she was not taking the kitchen sink with her as well. Ren had to fix her pack up so it was correct for the journey.

Pyrrha Nikos, the strongest of their entire team, and possibly in the entire school, was packing extra weaponry amongst her essentials, from rifle bullets, grenade bullets for Nora, and SMG rounds for Ren. She packed frag grenades for everyone, as well as Dust grenades of different elements should they need it. She also packed a secret weapon of hers: Dust rifle rounds. She only hoped she did not need them.

They finished packing for the trip within an hour, tying on their sleeping bags atop their pack bags last. Jaune stood before them all and cleared his throat. "Well everyone," He addressed. "today's the day. Let's head to the auditorium to receive our mission orders from Professor Goodwitch, then to breakfast, then we head out. Agreed?" Everyone agreed to that, Nora shouted "Yay," and jumped into the air.

Inside the auditorium, Ozpin and Gylnda went through each and every team and handed them a small memory card to insert into their Scroll which would play a recording of their mission objective. Team JNPR was standing beside Team RWBY and Team LOST. Jaune waved at Weiss Schnee of RWBY and smiled, but she huffed to herself and looked away from him, which made him slump over.

"Ouch," said Lucas Dias, leader of LOST. "Looks like Ms Schnee just gave you the cold shoulder." He sniggered at his little pun, and so did Yang Xiao Long of RWBY as well.

"Next time, Jaune," she said. "Try not to freeze up." Lucas and Yang broke into fits of laughter, but they quickly shut up when Ozpin and Glynda reached them, and boy was she not happy.

"Mind if I ask what is so funny you need to interrupt an important meeting?" she asked in a stern tone.

"Nothing, ma'am," answered Tristan Cortes of LOST. "Just a friendly exchange between friends, that's all." Gylnda pushed her glasses up her nose and handed RWBY, JNPR, and LOST their respective mission assignments.

"I wish all of you the best of luck." She continued on. Ozpin stayed behind a quick second, placing his hand on Jaune's shoulder and whispering to him the best of luck, then moving on. Jaune and crew went to breakfast for bacon, eggs, and hash browns, then to their room to gather their gear and assess their mission. Jaune slid the memory card into his Scroll and a video depicting Gylnda began playing.

"Good day, Team JNPR," began the holographic Gylnda. "Today, the four of you will be heading for the Vega Forest located to the south of Vale. There have been reports of a Tsuchigumo, a Class B level Grimm, lurking somewhere in the forest, terrorizing travelers, and has even attacked and killed a few. Your mission is to go into the Vega Forest, find this Grimm, and eliminate it. Good luck, and be careful." The video ended, was saved to the Scroll's hard drive, and the memory card ejected itself.

"Doesn't sound too difficult," commented Ren. "It's just one Grimm."

"It could be multiple Grimm, but maybe only one has been the one sighted at a time, thus giving the illusion of there being only one," remarked Pyrrha, who was reviewing her files on the targeted Grimm.

"Ooh, this will so exciting!" whooped Nora, who was bouncing with anticipation. "Pyrrha, what kinda of Grimm does this Tsugumo look like?"

"It is called Tsuchigumo, Nora," Pyrrha corrected. "As for what it looks like, well, here." She showed them a picture. Jaune shivered, Nora whooped, and Ren was unfazed. It looked like a giant spider with the recognizable white Grimm mask upon its face, back, and along its long legs. It had big red eyes, long pinchers used to hold its prey in place, and its huge abdomen and its spinneret capable of shooting sticky web.

"According to my files, the Tsuchigumo tends to reside underground and in dark caverns where it keeps food and eggs in its den, only coming out into the light to hunt for food. It usually attacks with its legs, which are sharpened to allow for scaling surfaces or impaling prey. It's pinchers are great and fast, and it can shoot web from its spinneret to trap prey. It is armored in its most sensitive areas including its weak spot of its head. This won't be an easy target."

"When are Grimm ever an easy target?" remarked Ren, who smiled.

Jaune was practically in tears. I guess you could say it was a good time to let everyone know he has a little fear of spiders; it came about when he was camping at a young age, and he woke up to a tarantula sitting upon his arm, staring at him. He reacted reasonably, if shaking his arm free and running outside the tent screaming while waking up anyone within a few miles with concern of a screaming girl is reasonable, then yes.

Before the team had finished gathering their gear, there was a knock on the door. Jaune opened it to find a delivery guy holding a box. "Jaune Arc?" he said. Jaune nodded and the guy handed him the box, which he placed down to sign the form. "Name's Tucker, and I have a package from a Mr Georgio Arc to you." Jaune signed the form and Tucker left without a word.

Jaune pushed the package to the center of the room where everyone gathered around as he opened it. "Something from Dad?" he muttered. "What could it be?" He finished it and found a letter, packing peanuts, and, after digging through them, a strange left hand glove gauntlet with some kind of attachment to it which connected to a large belt containing a set of iron workings and gas canisters. Nora stole the rest of the packing peanuts to play with, Jaune looked confused, but Pyrrha was happy.

"Wow," she cooed. "Jaune, that's the new Kyojin grappling hook gauntlet. It's self-propelled, auto-retracts, capable of supporting at least 150 pounds, and made with finely crafted iron cables. It can latch onto a number of objects and the belt system propels the user through the air. They're not supposed to be on the market for another few months. How'd your father get ahold of it?"

"Dad always had a way with getting new stuff. But why give me a grappling hook?" Jaune opened the letter and read it aloud.

_"Dear Jaune,_

_Hey there, Buckwheat. How's my great warrior of a son been doing? I hope you have been studying hard and training hard. I felt you could use a little kick to help you out, so the family and I pooled some money to get you one of these new grappling hook gauntlets. You're lucky a friend of mine owes me for saving his bacon years ago, so he got one for me. Make sure to read the instructions and you will be fine. PS: I hope you have succeeded in discovering more of your Aura and Semblance since you left._

_-Your loving family, Mom, Dad, Conner, Lindsey, and your pet goldfish Ralph."_

Jaune sighed as he closed up the letter. "Just like him." Jaune removed his glove and slipped on the gauntlet, then followed with the belt system, shrugging it in place to get comfortable, then gazed at it from all angles. Pyrrha smiled, proud that her leader got himself a new toy to aide him in battle. Ren was busy trying to get Nora out of the box and to stop throwing packing peanuts everywhere.

"So, with that done, I guess we should head for the train station," said Jaune. Everyone agreed and headed out with their gear upon their backs. They paid for tickets to the south station and soon enough, they were speeding along the tracks. Pyrrha sat next to Jaune as he inspected his new gauntlet some more. Ren and Nora sat across from them; Ren was asleep while Ms Hyper Pants was glued to the window watching the blurring city of Vale.

"Jaune, don't worry, you will get the hang of the grappling hook real quick," Pyrrha said, trying to cheer him up. "You've read the instructions twice now, how hard can it be?"

"I dunno," he mumbled. "It feels weird using this thing, that's all. I've always used a sword and shield." Pyrrha sighed and put a hand on his shoulder for comfort. They rode the train in silence from then on. They disembarked at their destination and headed straight into the Vega Forest after a half hour of walking.

**( )( )( )( )( )( )( )**

"Ren, what do your eagle eyes see in the distance?" Jaune called to his friend who was positioned at the top of a tree.

Ren activated his Aura and enhanced his eyes. He scanned the area all around for a minute before rejoining the group. "I spotted some activity due south of us, about five clicks," he replied. "As for what it is, I am not sure."

"It's about all we got. We know the Tsuchigumo dwells underground and in caves, so it most likely will be there," noted Pyrrha. "The map shows a network of caves that runs from there to the west cliffside, so there shall be the first place to look."

They agreed to continue walking south until night fell upon the sky. Before then, Jaune got some practice in with his new grappling hook, but he more often than not kept crashing into trees. "I got it this time!" he yelled, and let loose, striking a tree branch and jumping, activating the gas to send him flying. He screamed as he flew straight for another tree. Nora meanwhile was singing a tune with the words, "Jaune, Jaune, Jaune of the Jungle, strong as he can be."

"Jaune!" cried Pyrrha. "Watch out for that tree!" Jaune continued screaming and slammed directly into the tree before falling to the ground. The gang ran over to see if he was alright. He winced as he got up, but he seemed to be alright.

"C'mon, Team JNPR," he moaned. "Let us continue." He lead them forward whilst limping one foot. When night hit them, the team set up their sleeping bags and started a fire, thanks to some flint and steel that Ren brought along. While cooking some meat for dinner, Jaune worked on patching up his cuts and bruises thanks to the bandages he brought.

Pyrrha watched him from the corner of her eye, curious as to why he would not use his Aura to heal his wounds like he did in the Emerald Forest. 'He still doesn't have control over his Aura yet,' she thought. He was all she could think about for a while. Nora soon fell fast asleep in her sleeping bag, so she was out for watch duty. Pyrrha took first watch, so the boys crawled into their bags and fell asleep. Pyrrha kept kindling the fire to keep it up while keeping an eye on Jaune and any sign of danger.

After a couple hours, she began to doze off, and she did for a couple minutes until she snapped awake. "I feel asleep!" she snapped in a half-groggy state. She looked over to see her teammates still asleep. She took one extra look at Jaune and noticed something odd; there was faint silver glow around his body. She inched closer to him, and with every step she felt her body warm up, and it was not the heat of the fire either. She felt the warmth at full force when she reached his bedside. She yanked the covers back to see all of Jaune's injuries had completely healed over.

"His Aura is running rampant in his sleep," she whispered to herself. She let out a sigh and covered him back up, then went to wake up Ren for the next shift. Ren stretched himself and slapped his face a few good times to snap himself out of his sleepy state then went to a log to sit upon. Pyrrha gathered her sleeping bag and laid herself by Jaune. She soon fell into a peaceful sleep as his Aura swept over her.

"Time to wake up, you two," said Ren's voice. Jaune and Pyrrha opened their eyes to the morning sky while Ren was making pancakes over a fire; turns out Nora snuck along some pancake batter after he readjusted her pack. Pyrrha scooted away from Jaune's side before he could notice to avoid some awkwardness.

"Where's Nora?" Jaune asked amidst his groggy state.

Ren merely sighed. "She said she was going out to scope out the land, though that was nearly a half hour ago and I'm getting worried."

Before breakfast had finished cooking and after the beds were rolled back up, Nora returned. With an Ursa cub in her arms. The cub was growling at her and scratching her skin, but she paid it little heed. "Nora, where did you get that?" questioned Ren.

"I found him with his momma, of course," she giggled. "He was sitting there, and her back was turned, so I nabbed him. He would make an awesome pet, wouldn't he?"

Everyone was silent. Everybody knows that Ursi are extremely protective of their young, and they do not get happy if one is snatched away. Within a few minutes, a loud rumbling could be heard within the trees as the mother Ursa burst from them, roaring at JNPR.

"Nora, put the cub down right now," Jaune ordered in a shaky voice.

"Aw, but he's so cute," she retorted.

"I said put the cub down!" he barked. Nora sighed and released the cub, which returned to its mother. The mother looked among the now armed group, let out one final growl, and retreated back in the woods with its young upon its back.

JNPR let out sighs of relief and sheathed their weapons. Nora was a tad disappointed that she had to give up her pet though Jaune was upset at her stupidity. Nora only laughed at went to tend to her gear and eat pancakes. After breakfast, they packed up and continued heading south for the cave system.

**-A Little Later-**

A regular squirrel scurried along the ground, nabbing itself a tasty nut and went up a tree. It had only gotten halfway up when a spear came out of nowhere and pinned it dead to the tree. Pyrrha appeared from a bush and snagged her prize. "Looky looky, I have lunch," she chirped. Jaune made a retching sound at her comment. Pyrrha ignored him and pocketed the squirrel for later.

"Okay, we have searched the nearby cave entrances and we have not found the Tsuchigumo there," remarked Jaune, looking at his map. "We should head for the west cliffside and search there."

"Whether we found the Grimm or not, we need to return to town to gather more food and resources before we end up starving out here and dwindling on energy," noted Ren. "We should head for town tomorrow morning."

The team headed west, and after a few hours, they found the cliffside just as the sun began to set while still bathing the sky with light. Jaune looked at the cliffside, feeling queasy looking at the land below. He spotted a cave entrance some ways down however. Nora and Ren examined some of the trees and found signs of damage to them.

"Guys, look at this," called Ren. The other two joined with them and saw the damage. "You suppose this was the work of our spider friend?"

Pyrrha drew close to one tree and examined closer, where she found some strands of sticky webbing. "Oh yes, the Tsuchigumo was definitely here." Pyrrha expanded her Aura outward in the area and sensed something big heading straight for them. "Take positions!" She retreated back to her friends and they all drew their weapons.

"Take formation Chronos!" yelled Jaune. Everyone backed away from the trees and pinned their backs to each other in a square pattern, which prevented the chance of any of them being jumped from behind. Then, from out of the trees emerged the Tsuchigumo, peering at JNPR with its multiple red eyes. Jaune shivered, Pyrrha gritted her teeth, Ren's eyes narrowed, and Nora grew excited.

The Tsuchigumo charged forward, forcing the group to break formation and dive away. Ren fired his guns at the creature, but it did little to faze it. Nora switched to range mode and fired a few grenades upon it, making it reel back and shriek.

"Pyrrha, with me!" said Jaune, and the two warriors charged forward. The spider lashed out with its front leg, but Jaune deflected it with his shield for Pyrrha to jump over and strike an exposed area with her spear. Jaune pulled the pin from a grenade and rolled it under the beast's belly for a surprise attack, but it dodged aside before the explosion.

Nora rushed forward with her hammer raised, but the Tsuchigumo reeled back and fired a shot of web onto her, sending her flying and stuck against a tree. Ren dashed to her side, leaving Jaune and Pyrrha to fend for themselves while he tried freeing Nora of her new prison.

Jaune found himself anchored to the ground as the spider swiped at his shield with its pinchers to snag him in its mouth. He reached for his sword and struck the beast in one eye, blinding it there permanently. Pyrrha jumped aboard and struck for the creature's brain, but her spear kept bouncing harmlessly off its thick shell. The Tsuchigumo thrashed about and succeeded in knocking Pyrrha off the cliffside.

"PYRRHA!" Jaune screamed, He sheathed his weapons and dove off the cliff and caught her in his arms. "Hold on!" He aimed his left hand at the cliffside above the cave entrance he spotted earlier and fired. The hook stuck into the rock and Jaune activated the gas, propelling them for the entrance, but they were just above it. Jaune retracted his hook at the right moment and they barreled right into the entrance, rolling across the ground. The two of them coughed for air as the dust settled around them.

"JAUNE!" Pyrrha pointed at the entrance where the Tsuchigumo had just entered after crawling down the cliffside. Pyrrha grabbed his hand and they ran deeper into the cave, but the spider was catching up. Pyrrha got an idea and snatched two grenades from her belt. Jaune followed suit and grabbed one. They both pulled the pins. "3…2…1!" they tossed the grenades which exploded in front of the Tsuchigumo, sending the ceiling crashing down in between them and sealing them off.

"Pyrrha?" called Jaune. "Pyrrha? I can't see you." He waved his hands in front of him, hoping to catch Pyrrha.

"I'm right here, Jaune." He moved closer and found her, grasping something round and hard. "Jaune, that's my breast you're holding." He released and began apologizing.

"Here, let me get some light in here." Jaune lit up a torch with a pinch of red Dust. With their surroundings illuminated, the two could see the entrance completely sealed off thanks to the rubble. "Oh dear, this isn't good."

"Sorry, my plan was to set off the grenades under its belly where it's exposed, but I guess I got the timing a little off." Pyrrha looked over the rubble. "I don't think I can move this with my Polarity ability either."

"So, we're trapped here?!"

Pyrrha looked off in the darkened distance. "I don't think so. Let me contact Ren and Nora." Pyrrha pulled out her Scroll and dialed Ren's number, but she got a dead signal. "Damnit!"

"I just hope they're alright," Jaune muttered.

**( )( )( )( )( )( )( )**

Elsewhere, Ren and Nora were rushing through the forest with the Tsuchigumo right behind them. Nora insisted on fighting it, but Ren merely grabbed her and ran.

**( )( )( )( )( )( )( )**

"We need to start moving," said Pyrrha. "There is an entire maze system in these caves, so if we press on, we will find an entrance to the surface eventually."

"So, does that mean we could get lost in here?" questioned Jaune.

"Not could, we will. It's practically guaranteed with everyone."

"You are not suggesting we walk deeper into the caverns, are you"

Pyrrha looked at him sternly. "Do you have a better solution?" Jaune looked back at the fallen ceiling and groaned. Pyrrha led the way and held the torch this time, which Jaune did not object to. Pyrrha instructed Jaune to conserve his energy, food, and water until when needed if they were to survive in these caves. The two soon came to a three-way fork in the road and stopped to evaluate their choices.

"I op for the right path," suggested Jaune, brandishing a confident pose. Pyrrha took a long look down the right path and instead turned for the left path.

"Jaune, I think we should go down the left way," she said. "I dunno, it just gives me a better feeling." Jaune lowered his head, but he followed her down the left pathway anyway.

They continued down the tunnel for probably twenty minutes or so when Pyrrha stopped in her tracks, catching Jaune with her arm to halt him. "I hear something," she whispered. Pyrrha stretched her torch arm out farther to illuminate the path, revealing several large sticky sacs of something littering the floor and walls.

"What are these things?" Jaune wondered. Pyrrha knew exactly what they were, and the mere thought sent a shiver down her spine.

"Those are Tsuchigumo egg sacs," she answered. "One egg sac is brimming with dozens of little Tsuchigumo hatchlings, waiting to wake up and feed on anything. We need to go back. NOW!" They both turned and ran back the way the came, praying hard to the Gods above for the egg sacs not to hatch and come after them. They arrived back at the fork out of breath, stopping to catch it before making a new decision.

"I still think we should take the right path," gasped Jaune.

"I am going to agree with you there. For one thing, the stench smells better than the other two, so at least we can follow our nose." Pyrrha chuckled at her comment, but Jaune was too out of breath to laugh with her.

They continued on for what seemed like hours, stopping only to bicker on which paths to take or to kill a couple bats for extra food. Jaune checked his Scroll and noticed it was close to nine o' clock. "Pyrrha, you think we should settle down and rest for the night?" he asked.

Pyrrha turned and looked at her teammate with droopy eyes; clearly she was exhausted. She said nothing and stumbled toward Jaune, falling into him and he caught her and lowered her to the ground. "Pyrrha, you alright?" She was silent, only taking deep breathes. Jaune held her close to himself and patted her cheek to wake her up. He touched her forehead and neck, concluding that they were feeling hot. "She's dehydrated." Jaune uncorked his water canteen and dribbled some water into Pyrrha's mouth, which she swallowed. He dribbled a little on a handkerchief and placed it across her forehead.

Jaune laid the exhausted Pyrrha gently onto the ground so she could rest. He left the torch burning on the ground just to stare at the flickering light. His stomach grumbled, but the idea of eating any of the bats they caught did not sounds appetizing. He went into his pack and grabbed some dried meat and ate that. After a while, Pyrrha stirred in her spot.

"Jaune..." she wheezed. Jaune stared right at her. "Jaune, I feel so hungry." Jaune handed her some of the dried meat and she ate it. Jaune put his arm around Pyrrha and held her close, which she accepted. "I hope we get out of these caverns soon."

"I hope so too, Pyrrha." They both watched the light of the torch flicker a bit before soon disappearing in a poof. Jaune set his Scroll's alarm for morning and the two fell asleep in the dark together.

**-The Next Morning-**

Ren and Nora awoke up in the tall tress of the Vega Forest. They decided to take shelter up high after they managed to ditch the Tsuchigumo, which thankfully lost interest in them sometime the day before. The remaining members of JNPR descended down to ground level.

"What should we do, Ren?" asked Nora.

Ren hummed aloud. "I'm not sure, but we definitely aren't leaving without Jaune and Pyrrha." he said.

"But we don't know what happened to them when the Tsachigumo attacked us," said Nora, waving her arms around.

"Tsuchigumo," he corrected. Nora blew air in his hair, making his locks blow in his face, but he paid no attention to it. "And believe me, those two are tougher than they look, especially Jaune." Ren stared off into the sky while Nora poked him in the side.

**-Back in the Caverns-**

The Scroll's alarm went off, awakening both Jaune and Pyrrha from their sleep as well as providing them a light for the darkness surrounding them. Jaune turned the alarm off and helped Pyrrha up. They both took sigs of their water and ate a little food. Pyrrha lit a torch and cooked the squirrel she caught earlier and ate that, tearing at its flesh, making Jaune queasy.

"How can you stand to eat such things in that manner?" he questioned.

"Jaune, I've been trained not only as a warrior, but also as a survivor should I need to. I learned how to identify when its safe to eat animals and not to, like those with rabies and disease. I learned to start a fire using nothing but my surroundings. I learned to also construct weapons out of the nature, like wood, stone, and more. Believe me, I know it may look disgusting, but it's either life or death out here." Pyrrha offered the squirrel to him, but he refused.

After a quick breakfast, they continued on their way, looking at Jaune's map on his Scroll. They went through multiple breaks in the roads, hoping with all their heart that they reach the surface closer and closer.

After probably six miles of walking, where they found more egg sacs and had to sprint through them just to get past them as quickly as they could, they came to another fork, which they agreed to to take the left path as suggested by Jaune. After walking down that path for a while, they across a large opening into a dome-shaped area. Multiple paths formed on the outer edge of the dome, including up into the ceiling into who-knows where.

"I've got a bad feeling about this, Pyrrha," Jaune said to her.

"I've got it too." She shone the torch out farther, and that's when they found many more Tsuchigumo egg sacs scattered about. They had just realized where they were: in the den of the beast. They drew their weapons, threw the torch to illuminate the ground and sparked another up. Behind them, one egg sac stirred and the top broke open, and giant black, slender long spider legs emerged from it. At least a dozen Tsuchigumo hatchlings the size of coffee tables began pouring out and headed for them, but they had already spotted them.

"Take them out!" ordered Pyrrha, as the two began stabbing and slashing the spiders while more emerged from the sacs. "Don't let them climb on you, they have a poisonous bite!"

"Oh, that's reassuring!" said a sarcastic Jaune as he punted one across the room. One leapt for Pyrrha, but she blocked it with her shield and sliced it in two. "Pyrrha, they're getting agitated!" Pyrrha looked to see more ganging up on Jaune, so she switched to her rifle and pelted them off with bullets with master marksmanship. "You could've hit me!"

Pyrrha grabbed her teammate and yanked him back out of the grasp of the hatchlings and loaded her special red Dust rounds into her rifle and sent hatchlings ablaze, some of which ran about in pain, setting a few others up in flames. "Jaune, grenades!" she shouted. Jaune pulled the pins out of a few blue Dust grenades and tossed them, sending fragmented ice spikes scattering, piercing several hatchlings at once. After a while of this, all the hatchlings were dead. Jaune and Pyrrha fell to the ground to rest and catch their breath.

"Nice work there, Pyrrha," complimented Jaune, bumping her shoulder. She smiled and bumped him back.

"I couldn't have done it without you, Jaune." She blushed, but luckily he could not see her with the dim lighting.

"Oh stop it, you."

They stayed there a while, but soon Pyrrha's senses kicked in. "Jaune, move!" She shoved him aside and dodged out of the way as a strand of sticky web struck where they sat. They drew their weapons and saw the Tsuchigumo descending down from one tunnel in the ceiling.

"Can't this thing leave us alone?" moaned Jaune.

"There's no stopping it, we'll just have to squish it good this time."

Pyrrha rushed forward and struck at the beast's front with her spear, but could not make a dent. She backflipped away as the Tsuchigumo swiped at her with its pinchers. Jaune rushed forward and attacked, but his sword bounced harmlessly off its skull. The giant spider gazed at Jaune with its multiple red eyes and Jaune turned tail and ran back to Pyrrha. "I don't think we can pierce it's armor still," he remarked.

Pyrrha took a closer look as the Tsuchigumo moved closer, then she saw her opportunity. She formed her javelin stance and launched her spear right into one of the Tsuchigumo's eyes, blinding it. The creature reeled backwards in pain. Jaune ran forward and struck his sword into one of its other eyes, blinding it there as well. He retrieved Pyrrha's spear and raced back to her. With her weapon back, she fired her rifle at the beast, blinding it in two more of its eyes. The Tsuchigumo then chose to retreat deep into the darkness and leave the pair alone.

"Finally, we did it." Jaune dropped his sword and shield and collapsed to the floor. Pyrrha sheathed her weapons and sat with him.

"Well, we have to kill the creature to finish the mission though, so we're not done yet," said Pyrrha.

"Frankly, I feel done. I don't really care if it's dead or not, I just want outta here." It was right then that Jaune noticed a mark on Pyrrha's leg. He brought the torch closer and saw a blood spot with two tiny holes in her skin. "Pyrrha, what happened?"

Pyrrha put her hand over the wound to hide it, but it was too late. "It's nothing. One of the hatchlings must've bitten me, that's all."

"Gods above, Pyrrha, you said the hatchlings were poisonous!" Jaune whipped out his first aid kit and cleaned and bandaged Pyrrha's wound. "We need to get you to a doctor and quick before the poison takes effect!" With that said, Jaune lifted her in his arms and made a circle around the tunnels leading out of the dome, minus the one the Tscuchigumo exited.

Jaune passed around the dome a second time, and when he passed one tunnel, that is when he smelled it. The scent of grass and trees. 'That means the surface is nearby, and the outside wind is carrying the scent down to here,' Jaune thought. He lifted Pyrrha up more and headed down the tunnel, quickening his pace.

After a while, Jaune had to lay Pyrrha down so he could rest, and he noticed her heavy breathing. He felt her forehead and she was so hot that he felt like his hand was on fire. Pyrrha looked at him and brushed his cheek. "Jaune, you're still here?" she wheezed. He took her hand and nodded. "Just go. Leave me here, I'll be fine."

"Surely, you can't be serious?" he replied.

"I am serious. And don't call me Shirley." They both laughed until she started coughing. "You need to get out of here, find Ren and Nora, and come back. I can handle myself till then."

"No, I'm not leaving you behind. I'll carry you outta here on my back and walk through Hell and back if I have to. We're leaving here together." Jaune lifted Pyrrha back up and continued their journey for the surface. Jaune never faltered in his pace or stop to rest, his only focus to get the two of them to the surface and to safety.

After nearly an hour of traveling, Jaune's knees were about to give out as well as the torch. When the torch light snuffed out however, Jaune spotted a fain ray of sunlight off in the distance. He sprinted for it, praying to the Gods above that was the surface calling out for him. He turned around the corner and was met with the blinding light. His eyes clamped shut until he adjusted after a minute. Prying his eyes open, he was met with the sight of grass, trees, and the blue sky. The wind gently blew in his face.

He stepped out and heard the familiar _CRUNCH_ of grass beneath his feet. "Pyrrha, look, we made it out!" he exclaimed. Pyrrha was still in his arms. He shook her lightly, but she did not wake up. "Pyrrha? Pyrrha? PYRRHA!" Still no answer. Jaune began to weep, holding Pyrrha close to himself. "Pyrrha..."

_CRASH!_ The ground shuttered and Jaune was thrown about. Pyrrha's body left his grasp and she rolled a short distance away. Jaune stopped against the base of a tree and quickly regained his senses. He saw the Tsuchigumo standing before him, blood still oozing from its destroyed eyes. It let out a menacing hiss at him.

"Fine, you wanna finish this," he growled, drawing his sword and shield. "then I will finish you once and for all!" Jaune charged forward yelling his battle cry. The Tsuchigumo swung one leg at him, but he ducked under and continued forward. He swung his blade and struck the beast under its belly, causing it to reel back from the pain.

"That's it!" Jaune exclaimed. "The armor is covering its top side, but its exposed underneath! That's why it's always protecting itself there!" Jaune charged forward again, but the Tsuchigumo has grown smarter, so when it swung in the same manner again, Jaune ducked, and the beast swung another leg into him, sending him against a tree.

Jaune regained his composure only to watch as the Tsuchigumo went to Pyrrha's limp body and encase her in a cocoon of sticky web. Jaune felt his blood boil and he rushed forward again, but the Tscuchigumo swatted him away and inched closer to him. The beast bore down upon Jaune, trying to snatch him into its jaws, but the brave lad blocked its pinchers with his shield until it tossed it aside with a leg, then attempt to snack on him. Jaune rolled away to its underside and was about to stab it until the creature's abdomen came down to stab Jaune with its poison-tipped spear edge, but he avoided it in time.

The Tscuchigumo threw Jaune across the area with one of its legs and approached him. Jaune coughed up blood and clutched his sword. 'How am I supposed to kill it when it's this quick?' he thought. Jaune glanced over at the cocoon that is Pyrrha and felt his Aura flow through his body. The Tsuchigumo raised a leg to stab Jaune, and that is when he swung his sword in a vertical slice. The spider's leg was severed and flew off to the side, leaving a thing trail of blood. The Tsuchigumo screeched in pain and shrunk back. Jaune looked at his sword and noticed that it was encased in white Aura energy. The Aura was also extending beyond the blade's length.

Jaune did not have time to question this as the beast was coming back for him. The creature quickly bore down on him once more and Jaune instinctually swung his sword, causing a large ring of white Aura energy to fling out, slicing across the Tsuchigumo's body, doing minimal damage. Jaune leapt onto the beast and held onto its skull as it thrashed around, trying to knock him off. Jaune held on and readied his sword. He saw his chance and he thrusted his glowing blade into the Tsuchigumo's head, piercing it's armored Grimm skull. The creature screeched once more, but was still alive. Jaune thrusted downward again, then another thrust, but the beast kept fighting. Jaune lost his balance and fell off, but he was far from defeat.

The Tsuchigumo lunged at Jaune with its pinchers open, and Jaune focused his Aura into his sword once more, powering it up for a defense-shattering strike. He lunged forward and stabbed the entire blade into its jaw and into the spider's cranial area. It let out a deafening screech and fell down dead.

Jaune dropped his sword and ran over to Pyrrha, cutting her loose of the cocoon with a combat knife. She was still unconscious, the poison still seeping through her body. "Pyrrha, wake up!" Jaune pleaded. "Please wake up!" He burrowed his face in her shoulder when he received no response. His hand began to glow with his Aura, and he remembered something. 'I can heal wounds with my Aura,' he thought. 'I did it before, can it work with poison?'

Jaune unwrapped Pyrrha's bandage and took a look at the wound, which had a greenish-color to it. He pressed his glowing hand to the wound and concentrated on extracting the poison or anything to heal Pyrrha. He soon felt a strange feeling as he pulled his hand away and a greenish liquid followed it, floating in midair as the wound sealed itself up. Jaune looked at the liquid which he assumed was the poison, then it disappeared into nothing.

Pyrrha's eyes squinted, then slowly opened. Her eyes shifted to Jaune's face, where he was smiling with tears in his eyes. "Jaune? What's wrong? Why are you crying?" she whispered. He said nothing but instead embraced her in his arms, which she was a bit confused about, but accepted him anyway. "Did I miss something back in the caves?"

Jaune chuckled. "No, you didn't miss much. Just the defeat of the Tsuchigumo, me carrying you out to the surface, discovering my Semblance and gaining control of my Aura finally, and me healing you. Nothing much." It was Pyrrha's turn to chuckle this time.

"Well done," she said. "Looks like all that training I gave you finally paid off."

"And thanks for it all." Jaune helped Pyrrha to her feet, holding her for a moment so she can steady herself. They both looked at the corpse of the Tsuchigumo for a moment to observe the victory for Team JNPR before taking pictures with their Scroll as proof for the mission completion.

"Jaune, thank you for saving my life," Pyrrha whispered, placing a hand on his cheek. Both of them were blushing at this point. "You are a true warrior now, and a great man. So, how about I give my hero a fitting reward?" She inched closer to his face; he swallowed the lump in his throat, closed his eyes, and moved closer to her.

Then Nora burst from the trees hooting and screaming, forcing them to break apart. "Wassup, amigos?!" she screamed. She rolled on the ground and jumped up onto her feet in front of the two. Ren emerged shortly behind her and out of breath. "Did I miss something just now?"

"No, but you did kinda intruded on something," scolded Jaune. Pyrrha giggled, grabbed his face, and kissed him this time. Nora went "awww" while Ren merely smiled.

"Well, everyone, I say it's time we head back to Beacon and turn in our report," commented Ren. "And frankly, I've had enough time spent in the woods." He went to his hair and pulled out a small twig that was stuck there.

**-Later-**

"Well done, Team JNPR," congratulated Glynda. "You four have shown incredible skill in defeating the Class B Tsuchigumo. I must admire Mr Jaune Arc the most, as according to your report, he was the one who defeated the creature. Nicely done, Mr Arc."

The four teens smiled and bowed to Glynda before she took her leave, followed by Professor Ozpin. He congratulated JNPR on their success, but gave his thoughts on Jaune's personal victory in harnessing his Aura and Semblance. "Train not only your body, Jaune," he hinted. "but also your mind, and you will become a Huntsman and warrior the likes we haven't seen in generations." He patted his shoulder and took his leave.

Back in their room, Team JNPR unpacked all their gear and slipped into some relaxing wear for the remaining night. After finishing his pack, Jaune found the big bag of Vale fruit gummies that he packed back at the start.

"Hey, gang, who wants some fruit gummies?" he called to his team. Everyone crowded around his bed. There, they spent the remainder of the night swapping stories and eating said gummies. Jaune and Pyrrha sat next to each, holding each other's hand.

For Jaune Arc, his life as a Huntsman has truly begun now that he has attained control of his Aura and discovered his Semblance. Paired with Pyrrha Nikos, the duo became known as Team Arkos alongside their companions, Team Sloth, composed of Lie Ren and Nora Valkyrie. People sang songs of their heroic deeds and their adventures. These deeds soon became history, and were passed down generation after generation while being told as bedtime stories, and will be so until the end of time.

**Remember to review, it helps a lot, and I'll see you next time, Lovelies. Also, did you find all the Easter Eggs?**


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